Iran's New Palestinian Terror Group: Al-Sabireen

The Iranians are also believed to have supplied their new terrorist group in the Gaza Strip with Grad and Fajr missiles that are capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

The leader of Al-Sabireen, Hisham Salem, is a former commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. His activities and rhetoric have worried many in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who fear that his group is beginning to attract many of their followers.

Salem has been accused by many Palestinians of helping Iran spread Shia Islam inside the Gaza Strip, where all Muslims belong to the rival Sunni denomination.

This, of course, is bad news for [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas, who is now watching as many of his former loyalists have come onto Iran's payroll and are sharing its radical ideology.

Many Palestinians and Arabs in the region are already voicing concern. The last thing Abbas, Egypt's President Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah need is another Iranian terror group such as Hezbollah in the Middle East.

It now remains to be seen whether the Obama Administration and other Western powers will wake up and realize that the Iranians are continuing to fool them, not only regarding Tehran's nuclear program, but also concerning its territorial ambitions in the Middle East.

Unless the U.S. and Western powers realize that Iran remains a major threat to world peace, Al-Sabireen and other terrorist groups will one day manage to establish a UN-recognized Palestinian state that would pose an existential threat to Israel and destabilize the entire Middle East.

The nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers has paved the way for the Iranians to resume their efforts to spread their influence throughout the Middle East.

As the Obama Administration and the rest of the international community choose to look the other way, Iran evidently feels that this is the appropriate time to meddle in the internal affairs of Arabs and Muslims

Iran's main goal, from all appearances, is to dominate the entire Middle East by destroying Israel and most of the Arab and Islamic regimes that are considered too "moderate" and "pro-West." So far, thanks to the indifference of the Obama Administration and most Western countries, the Iranians seem to be marching in the right direction toward achieving their goal.

Iran is already deeply involved in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. In recent months, the Iranians have also returned to the Palestinian arena, this time through a new group called Al-Sabireen Movement For Supporting Palestine. Translated into English, Al-Sabireen means "The Patient Ones."

The new Iranian-backed Al-Sabireen was established in wake of tensions between Iran and its two former allies in the Gaza Strip: Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis four years ago, relations between Tehran and Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been strained. The refusal of Hamas and Islamic Jihad publicly to support Iran's ally, President Bashar Assad, in his fight against the Syrian opposition, has resulted in the expulsion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders from Syria. It has also prompted the Iranians to cut off financial aid to the two groups, an abandonment that has left them facing a severe and unprecedented crisis -- the worst in more than two decades.

Al-Sabireen, whose emblem is identical to that of another Iran proxy, Hezbollah, so far has about 400 followers in the Gaza Strip. Each one receives a monthly salary of $250-$300, while the senior officials of the group get at least $700.

Although Al-Sabireen has been operating in the Gaza Strip for several months now, its name surfaced two weeks ago when one of its top military commanders was shot and killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The man, Ahmed Sharif Al-Sarhi, was responsible for a series of shooting attacks on Israel before he was fatally shot by IDF snipers along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Al-Sabireen commander Ahmed Sharif Al-Sarhi (left) was responsible for a series of shooting attacks on Israel before he was fatally shot two weeks ago by IDF snipers along the border with the Gaza Strip. The Iranians are also believed to have supplied their new terrorist group in the Gaza Strip with Grad and Fajr missiles (right) that are capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

Palestinian sources said that most of the Al-Sabireen terrorists are former disgruntled members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The sources said that Iran has been supplying Al-Sabireen with various and new types of weapons that are being used to attack Israel. According to the sources, Al-Sarhi was killed by the IDF while he was trying to fire from a new Steyr HS .50 long-range sniper rifle he had recently received from the Iranians.

The Iranians are also believed to have supplied their new terrorist group in the Gaza Strip with Grad and Fajr missiles that are capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

The leader of Al-Sabireen, Hisham Salem, is a former commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. His activities and rhetoric have worried many in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who fear that his group is beginning to attract many of their followers.

Two weeks ago, unidentified assailants stabbed and moderately wounded Salem shortly after he gave a newspaper interview in the northern Gaza Strip. Although no group has claimed responsibility, it is widely believed that the assailants belong to either Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Salem has been accused by many Palestinians of helping Iran spread Shia Islam inside the Gaza Strip, where all Muslims belong to the rival Sunni denomination.

Al-Sabireen is also believed to have succeeded in recruiting scores of militiamen belonging to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction in the Gaza Strip. These militiamen have gone to the Iranian-backed group mostly for financial considerations. This, of course, is bad news for Abbas, who is now watching as many of his former loyalists have come onto Iran's payroll and are sharing its radical ideology.

Iran's presence in the Gaza Strip -- this time through Al-Sabireen -- is bad news not only for Israel, but also for many Palestinians and Arabs in the region. The Egyptians, who have been waging a relentless war on Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip and Sinai, are already voicing concern over Iran's new Palestinian proxy. The last thing Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah need is another Iranian terror group similar to Hezbollah in the Middle East.

It now remains to be seen whether the Obama Administration and other Western powers will wake up and realize that the Iranians are continuing to fool them, not only regarding Tehran's nuclear program, but also concerning its territorial ambitions in the Middle East. Iran's Al-Sabireen group states that its main goal is to "eliminate the Zionist entity."

On its way to achieving its goal, the group will also kill Arabs and Muslims who do not share its objectives and ideology. It also seeks to kill Israel's Western friends, especially those living in the U.S. and Europe. Unless the U.S. and Western powers realize that Iran remains a major threat to world peace, Al-Sabireen and other terrorist groups will one day manage to establish a UN-recognized Palestinian state that would pose an existential threat to Israel and destabilize the entire Middle East.

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12 Reader Comments

steven L • Oct 29, 2015 at 01:07

Iran in its nuke deal has sent the JV team to the cleaner!!!!

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Linda Levitan • Oct 29, 2015 at 01:04

Is he by any chance on the IDF's top-target list? Are they keeping tabs on his whereabouts? Seems like a good target to me!

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Dick Choad Linda Levitan • Jan 4, 2016 at 08:15

Read the Koran, Sira, Haditha, that tells it all. They are awaiting the Mahdi and seek to hasten his return.

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Neal • Oct 28, 2015 at 19:48

The U.S. under Barack Obama will not wake up to Iran's threat and contribution to the chaos in the Middle East.

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jeb stuart • Oct 28, 2015 at 18:23

Is there really any reason to believe President Obama can affect some good in the region that isn't submissive to the Muslim Brotherhood? I admit I can not see any action on is part that is pro-American, Israeli or anything he would deem neo-colonial and white and he has millions of Americans fooled by false intentions.

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Yoel • Oct 28, 2015 at 16:39

Sabireen is plural "the patient ones", "those who are patient".

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Ora • Oct 28, 2015 at 15:52

Mr. Abu Toameh writes, "It now remains to be seen whether the Obama Administration and other Western powers will wake up and realize that the Iranians are continuing to fool them..." The question is whether they are really asleep and unaware of what is happening. I doubt it. Obama wants his legacy and the other Western powers want to trade with Iran. Do they really care whether, "Al-Sabireen and other terrorist groups will one day manage to establish a UN-recognized Palestinian state that would pose an existential threat to Israel and destabilize the entire Middle East"? I don't think so. Not in their backyard. Yet.

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Harvey • Oct 28, 2015 at 13:27

After reading this disturbing article of yet another terror group, one begins to wonder about the meaning of the Obama administration's quoted phrase: 'We are a freedom loving people, and will support other freedom loving people'. Well, all I can say is if they and other Western governments don't get their act together and fight this new Naziism, there is NOT going to be any freedom unless of course you are a radical Muslim gun wielding thug.

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marlene • Oct 28, 2015 at 12:03

Maybe the US congress is deceiving us when they said they stopped funding the PA because they now fund the al-sabireen???

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Peter Richmond • Oct 28, 2015 at 10:46

Dr Artur Ruppin, writing in c1908, notes that there is no one Arab voice with whom it is possible to negotiate. Herbert Samuels, the first High Commissioner, appointed Amin Al Husseini Grand Mufti.

Barack Obama and John Kerry are pursuing a pipe dream. Peace will never come to The Middle East until, as Golda Meir remarked in 1957 the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews; oh, and speak with one voice.

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Fred • Oct 28, 2015 at 07:58

Thanks to Obama's indifference & the slide of the US into weakness, Iran is taking up the slack in the Middle East. One can see Iranian's laughing into the face of the world, they have succeed not having to fire a shot. They got every free hand to do anything no holds barred. The "Treaty "is useless.

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DM • Oct 28, 2015 at 07:56

The Al Sabireen (the patient one)? is perhaps a good start to the two terrorist groups killing each other. The Muslims undivided brainless outlook towards Mohammed, wrapping their women in black bags and pure hatred for all other denominations is surely, ultimately, a road to destruction -- for them! Unfortunately it will change the world as we know it.

Interesting to note that the Al Sabireen are former disgruntled members of the Palestinian Jihad. Having been already members of a terrorist group one wonders why they are disgruntled, perhaps they ran out of allotted virgins.

For sure with the blessings of the Great Satan Obama, the nuclear deal and the releasing of sanctions and funds to Iran will see the advent of war and the destruction of the world as we know it. People are starting to question the interference of the US and the EU, lets hope that it will not be to late.